WATERLOO, ON -- Conrad Grebel University College is pleased to announce that it has received a $5,000 grant from the Waterloo Region's Community Environmental Fund for its new electric vehicle charging station. As another one of the College’s green initiatives, Grebel will implement a charging station for electric and hybrid vehicles. Available to the public, the aim of this project is to increase consumer use of electric vehicles. The charging station will be the first one of its kind on the University of Waterloo campus. The charging station is expected to be ready for use in the fall, soon after the College parking lot is finalized and as the new building construction nears its completion.
“We are pleased that we’ve received funding for this green initiative,” stated Fred W. Martin, Director of Development at Conrad Grebel. “When we first envisioned this building project, we wanted to include some environmental components. Along with the electric car charging station, we are going to be pursuing photovoltaic cells for the roof top, water fountains in the building, and we have included showers in the staff washrooms, giving them the option to bike or walk to work and have access to a shower.”
“Rather than pursuing a specific green building designation, we thought the money spent would be better invested in specific initiatives like this one. We will make the charging station free of charge to drivers who pay the regular parking fee or have a parking pass; no additional cost will be required,” explained Paul Penner, Director of Operations at Conrad Grebel
"I am excited that Grebel has decided to add an electric car charging station to its parking lot," said Claudia Van Decker, Administrative Assistant at Conrad Grebel. "I drive a Chevrolet Volt into work a few days a week and it would be great to be able to “plug-in” when I need to."
Conrad Grebel has worked hard to be an environmental leader. For example, the College had the first CarShare parking spot on the Waterloo campus, it was the first to join the Green Bin Organics program, and Grebel also installed the first solar-thermo panels on campus.
Along with responsible citizenship and generosity, one of Conrad Grebel’s core values is stewardship of creation. This project will encourage the use of electric vehicles, which are significantly better for the environment.